15 replies to this topic

[TheForce]

I wanted this game to make me feel like I'm participating in the battles I've read about in the novels, or the battles I played with Battletech and MechWarrior RPG. It doesn't. To me, it looks like MechWarrior, but with all the customization, group fire and pinpoint accuracy it feels like GenericRobotWarrior.

IMO, the only way this game can remotely feel like the novels I've read and the RPG games I've played is with a STOCK MECH QUEUE.

PGI - What do you have to lose by doing this?

One thing you have to lose is my money. I quit playing the game months ago. If I had the option to play in a STOCK MECH QUEUE that was for PREMIUM PLAYERS ONLY, I would have bought the project phoenix package, and I would pay for premium 24/7/365.

There are more people like me too. How much effort is it to develop a STOCK MECH QUEUE? What do you have to lose by creating one?

I'm gonna go cry some more now.

RESPECT!

Edited by TheForce, 24 August 2013 - 07:10 AM.

[MrPils]

The problem with a stock mech mode would be that some stock mechs are clearly much better than others. You wouldn't get much variety except for the odd non-conformist. For example anything stock with DHS is instantly superior in mwo compared to a variant of the same chassis running singles. The underlining mwo mechanic is one of upgrades not alternatives sadly.

[TheForce]

MrPils, on 24 August 2013 - 08:17 AM, said:

The problem with a stock mech mode would be that some stock mechs are clearly much better than others. You wouldn't get much variety except for the odd non-conformist. For example anything stock with DHS is instantly superior in mwo compared to a variant of the same chassis running singles. The underlining mwo mechanic is one of upgrades not alternatives sadly.

Whenever I mention stock this is the one of the comments I always here, but this applies to CUSTOM battles too. I remember watching an 8v8 RHOD league match where only 4 chassis were used.

Another thing, in a stock queue they could balance matches with a battle value much easier then they could do this with full custom mechs.

But u know what? This doesn't matter because the people playing in stock battles are going to be fans of the lore, and games will be organized to ensure a variety of mechs are taken.

RESPECT

Edited by TheForce, 24 August 2013 - 06:54 PM.

[MrPils]

Yeah theoretically...however as soon as you put a PUG queue in like that you'll attract trolls/tryhards. This could work and can be fun when organised, as you said above, but it would have to be an organised game though and not just random ELO based matchmaking. There are also limits to just how far you can gimp yourself in the name of fun, the main problem would be the paper armour mechs such as the jager. That and ammo (also jager, but see any missile or ballistic chassis) would be really limited making the tonnage devoted to ballistic and missile systems really inefficient. Laser-heavy mechs with good stock armour and double heatsinks would dominate.

Edited by MrPils, 25 August 2013 - 10:40 AM.

[LauLiao]

Who has stock mechs? I know none of my mechs are stock and I've got about a dozen of them. I don't think I could restore them to stock even if I wanted to (which I don't, because it would be WAY too time consuming and I doubt I'd remember the stock configuration anyway).

[MrPils]

A trial mech only queue would have more of a place. Would serve as an excellent training area while people accrued their cadet bonus.

[Psydotek]

I support this especially with tonnage limits. Variants will actually matter.

[StaIker]

There is no demand for stock Mech matches at all. Were you part of Mechwarrior4? If so, you'll remember that when people could choose to host stock games that the number who did so was so small as to be effectively zero compared to the vast list of servers with customs Mechs allowed. The Stock leagues of MW4 were also tiny and insignificant next to the custom leagues. A stock mode would exist for no one but a handful of die hards, literally a private server for them to be segragated from everyone else. It's not worth even a minutes times to code in for a few dozen people.

Sorry.

[MourningZero]

You'd have to ban hot maps too. 10 single HS that most stock mechs are stuck with are not enough to reduce your heat at all on Caustic, Tourmaline, or Mordor.

[General Taskeen]

MourningZero, on 26 August 2013 - 07:03 AM, said:

You'd have to ban hot maps too. 10 single HS that most stock mechs are stuck with are not enough to reduce your heat at all on Caustic, Tourmaline, or Mordor.

Unfortunately that's PGI fault for not re-designing heatsinks altogether.

Even with 10 SHS hardly had these issues in other Mech Titles.

[TheForce]

StaIker, on 26 August 2013 - 12:48 AM, said:

There is no demand for stock Mech matches at all. Were you part of Mechwarrior4? If so, you'll remember that when people could choose to host stock games that the number who did so was so small as to be effectively zero compared to the vast list of servers with customs Mechs allowed. The Stock leagues of MW4 were also tiny and insignificant next to the custom leagues. A stock mode would exist for no one but a handful of die hards, literally a private server for them to be segragated from everyone else. It's not worth even a minutes times to code in for a few dozen people.

Sorry.

There is demand. Hundreds of people voted yes in multiple stock game option surveys.

Coding wouldn't be much effort:

1. add new stock queue
2. add code when joining queue: if queue = stock, get loadout from stock loadouts in database, else get loadout from players loadouts in database.

PGI: whats cost of that, and how much revenue will you get from a few hundred people who want stock games?

[Narcissistic Martyr]

TheForce, on 29 August 2013 - 09:47 AM, said:

There is demand. Hundreds of people voted yes in multiple stock game option surveys.

Coding wouldn't be much effort:

1. add new stock queue
2. add code when joining queue: if queue = stock, get loadout from stock loadouts in database, else get loadout from players loadouts in database.

PGI: whats cost of that, and how much revenue will you get from a few hundred people who want stock games?

The cost? Finite.

The additional revenue? Negligible since the paint jobs would be bought anyways.

[Tangelis]

I'd love to see a stock only or "vintage" game mode, but I also agree it probably wouldn't be as popular as we want it to be.

[Sidekick]

Truth is:

You will not get a stock queue. The target demographic isn´t demanding it.

On a realistic side:

Economically speaking, a stock queue would be benificial for PGI. And not because the "fans want it" aspect.

See MWO as a game. Right now, we have a "deckbuilding" mechanic, you add items and feats to your hand (mech) to aquire a special build. Aquiring these feats is essential, to gain effectivenes you need to pour money into your inventory. Certain decks are effective, others are not. So to be effective, you need to assemble a certain value. If you have a small selection of mechs and a large selection of equipment, you can build most decks, adapting to most metagame changes.

If you take the "building" aspect out of it, you are limiting yourself to a role playing game. You choose a specific charakter. You get this charakter and change only little features (modules). So, to adapt to the metagame, you don´t change a weapon, an engine or a module... you need to aquire another mech.
Sounds expensive? Wait and see.
This mech needs Mechbays. MC only.
You need to play and level the "bad" builds to gain higher skill tiers, making the bonus XP of premium time more valuable.

To balance this, a battle value system would be established, balancing teams not by weight, but by BV. So... playing a bad mech (with poor BV) to nerf the overall strength of the enemy team is important. So, you need to keep a mechbay for a bad mech, just in case. Or several, depending on your tactical choice.

See? The inventory is unlimited. The abilities you bring into battle are limited by your inventory. If a Stock queue would be established, PGI could quickly discouver how expensive this game could get. New mechs mit favorable layouts would become "must buy" instead of "nice to have". Hero Mechs.... good grief, a list of issues.

The game shifts with every patch, every new map, every new balancing round. Stock-Only would turn this change into "my mech was fine, neet to tune it a tad" into "Wow, my mech was good, now it´s utterly garbage"

You ask for a stock mode. I wonder: If we get this, what hells would this imply.

[Belorion]

Money is what they have to lose.

If they implement this and no one likes or plays it, they will have spend a lot of payroll for something that doesn't make them money a/k/a they lose money.

[Sidekick]

I think it is the "a lot of payroll" think you are mislead by. Stock doesn´t require new mechs, maps. It is just a limitation of selection (because the inventory, minus the moduels is not carried over) and a different selection process (if they implement BV).

Stock would be fairly cheap compared to other additions. And it could be maiming for players MC balance.

Edited by Sidekick, 02 September 2013 - 10:16 AM.